Brand Finance unveils inaugural league table of Engineering, Construction & Design Advisory firms powering the world's energy, transport and digital infrastructure boom
LONDON, 5 November 2026 - Infrastructure investments are accelerating worldwide, driven by demand for energy security, digital connectivity and climate resilience. Against this backdrop, Brand Finance, the world's leading brand valuation consultancy, has launched its inaugural Engineering, Construction & Design Advisory 10 2026 report, recognising globally leading infrastructure brands. Behind many of these projects are the Engineering, Construction & Design Advisory firms transforming investment into operational reality.
Brand Finance values the world's 10 most valuable Engineering, Construction & Design Advisory brands at a combined USD12 billion, highlighting the growing commercial importance of brand in a sector at the centre of the global infrastructure investment boom.
The wider sector was valued at approximately USD202.8 billion in 2025 and is forecast to reach USD296.2 billion by 2035, driven by rising demand for energy security, digital connectivity, climate resilience and modern transport infrastructure.
Savio D'Souza, Global Head of Engineering, Construction & Design Advisory at Brand Finance, commented:
“The Engineering, Construction & Design Advisory sector is undergoing a profound transformation. Technical excellence remains fundamental, but it is no longer sufficient on its own. As firms expand into consulting, digital solutions, environmental services and programme management, brand has become an increasingly important source of competitive advantage. Organisations that understand and actively manage their brands are better positioned to secure strategic projects, attract specialist talent, strengthen client relationships and communicate long term value to investors and stakeholders.”
AECOM leads the inaugural report with a brand value of USD2.6 billion, supported by its diversified exposure across transportation, water, environment and energy infrastructure, alongside growing capabilities in advisory, programme management and digital solutions. AECOM also ranks second for brand strength with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 80.6/100 and an AAA- brand strength rating, demonstrating one of the sector's most consistent brand performances across key international markets, including the US, UK and Canada.
Jacobs ranks second with a brand value of USD2.3 billion, reflecting its continued evolution into a consulting led and digitally enabled business. The brand’s expansion into high-value advisory services, including government, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, and energy systems, has been reinforced by its acquisition of PA Consulting. Jacobs is also the sector’s strongest rated brand, achieving a BSI score of 82.9 /100 and an AAA- brand strength rating. Strong levels of client understanding, consideration and preference in its home market reinforces its position as a trusted partner for complex infrastructure and consulting projects.
WSP Global completes the top three most valuable with a brand value of USD2.2 billion, underpinned by its acquisition led growth strategy and expanding capabilities across power, utilities, sustainability and environmental services.
Worley ranks fourth with a brand value of USD1.1 billion, standing as the only Australian brand in the report. The brand continues to benefit from its strong positioning in energy transition and industrial decarbonisation, supported by rising global investment in low carbon energy systems, hydrogen, and emissions reduction technologies.
Meanwhile, Arcadis secures third strongest placement with a BSI score of 79.8/100 and an AAA- brand strength rating, reflecting particularly strong brand equity across continental Europe, where it performs strongly on consideration, preference and pricing power. As firms expand beyond engineering into higher-value advisory, digital and sustainability services, differentiation is becoming increasingly important. The inaugural Brand Finance Engineering, Construction & Design Advisory 10 2026 report concludes that as infrastructure investment accelerates globally, firms combining technical excellence with strong brands, digital capabilities and integrated service offerings will be best positioned to secure complex projects and achieve long term sustainable growth.
Brand Finance is the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. Bridging the gap between marketing and finance, Brand Finance evaluates the strength of brands and quantifies their financial value to help organisations make strategic decisions.
Headquartered in London, Brand Finance operates in over 25 countries. Every year, Brand Finance conducts more than 6,000 brand valuations, supported by original market research, and publishes over 100 reports which rank brands across all sectors and countries.
Brand Finance also operates the Global Brand Equity Monitor, conducting original market research annually on 6,000 brands, surveying more than 175,000 respondents across 41 countries and 31 industry sectors. By combining perceptual data from the Global Brand Equity Monitor with data from its valuation database — the largest brand value database in the world — Brand Finance equips ambitious brand leaders with the data, analytics, and the strategic guidance they need to enhance brand and business value.
In addition to calculating brand value, Brand Finance also determines the relative strength of brands through a balanced scorecard of metrics, compliant with ISO 20671.
Brand Finance is a regulated accountancy firm and a committed leader in the standardisation of the brand valuation industry. Brand Finance was the first to be certified by independent auditors as compliant with both ISO 10668 and ISO 20671 and has received the official endorsement of the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB) in the United States.
Brand is defined as a marketing-related intangible asset including, but not limited to, names, terms, signs, symbols, logos, and designs, intended to identify goods, services, or entities, creating distinctive images and associations in the minds of stakeholders, thereby generating economic benefits.
Brand strength is the efficacy of a brand’s performance on intangible measures relative to its competitors. Brand Finance evaluates brand strength in a process compliant with ISO 20671, looking at Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and the impact of those on Business Performance. The data used is derived from Brand Finance’s proprietary market research programme and from publicly available sources.
Each brand is assigned a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score out of 100, which feeds into the brand value calculation. Based on the score, each brand is assigned a corresponding Brand Rating up to AAA+ in a format similar to a credit rating.
Brand Finance calculates the values of brands in its rankings using the Royalty Relief approach – a brand valuation method compliant with the industry standards set in ISO 10668. It involves estimating the likely future revenues that are attributable to a brand by calculating a royalty rate that would be charged for its use, to arrive at a ‘brand value’ understood as a net economic benefit that a brand owner would achieve by licensing the brand in the open market.
The steps in this process are as follows:
1 Calculate brand strength using a balanced scorecard of metrics assessing Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and Business Performance. Brand strength is expressed as a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score on a scale of 0 to 100.
2 Determine royalty range for each industry, reflecting the importance of brand to purchasing decisions. In luxury, the maximum percentage is high, while in extractive industry, where goods are often commoditised, it is lower. This is done by reviewing comparable licensing agreements sourced from Brand Finance’s extensive database.
3 Calculate royalty rate. The BSI score is applied to the royalty range to arrive at a royalty rate. For example, if the royalty range in a sector is 0-5% and a brand has a BSI score of 80 out of 100, then an appropriate royalty rate for the use of this brand in the given sector will be 4%.
4 Determine brand-specific revenues by estimating a proportion of parent company revenues attributable to a brand.
5 Determine forecast revenues using a function of historic revenues, equity analyst forecasts, and economic growth rates.
6 Apply the royalty rate to the forecast revenues to derive brand revenues.
7 Discount post-tax brand revenues to a net present value which equals the brand value.
Brand Finance has produced this study with an independent and unbiased analysis. The values derived and opinions presented in this study are based on publicly available information and certain assumptions that Brand Finance used where such data was deficient or unclear. Brand Finance accepts no responsibility and will not be liable in the event that the publicly available information relied upon is subsequently found to be inaccurate. The opinions and financial analysis expressed in the study are not to be construed as providing investment or business advice. Brand Finance does not intend the study to be relied upon for any reason and excludes all liability to any body, government, or organisation.
The data presented in this study form part of Brand Finance's proprietary database, are provided for the benefit of the media, and are not to be used in part or in full for any commercial or technical purpose without written permission from Brand Finance.
